Heavy equipment used for lifting, hoisting, scraping, etc. has moving components such as scoops and blades. These components may be raised or lowered by winding in or playing out cables from a winch, turning gears and the like. Such movements are ongoing continuously in the use of the heavy equipment and will involve something like raising a scoop with product, stopping the scoop at a desired travel level, moving the scoop to a deposit site, lowering the scoop and dumping the product. The cable is repetitively wound onto and off of the winch's drum and/or gears are repeatedly engaged and turned, and at the end of each movement, a brake is applied to stop and then hold the position.
Brakes that are used on such winches or other apparatus are typically complex and expensive, they rapidly wear and are difficult and expensive to repair or replace, and they are noisy.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved braking system for such winches or similar apparatus.